state house – Worcester Community Project Center

March 16, 2017August 5, 2021 by Laura Roberts

Northborough Composting: A Peri-Urban Land Conflict

Welcome to our page! During our Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP), we worked in collaboration with the office of Massachusetts State Senator Harriette Chandler in order to address the tense situation in Northborough, Massachusetts surrounding a farm’s large-scale composting operation. More specifically, we planned to resolve the tension between the community and the farm that arose…

October 28, 2015August 5, 2021 by Laura Roberts

The Office of Senator James Eldridge: Recommendations for a Comprehensive Massachusetts Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Policy

Importance of our project When you fill up your car’s gasoline tank, have you ever wondered how that gasoline is stored? Well, under every gas stations lies two to three underground storage tanks (UST) that hold between 10,000 to 30,000 gallons of gasoline. This natural resource is an environmental hazard, so the USTs require strict…

February 22, 2013August 5, 2021 by Laura Roberts

Zoning Reform for Quality of Life

Massachusetts’ state zoning laws are some of the most outdated laws in the country, which explains why in the past three decades many attempts have been made to change these laws. Although municipal level zoning reform laws have been passed, none of these attempts at the state level have been successful. This lack of success…

February 22, 2013August 5, 2021 by Laura Roberts

Electronic Waste Recycling in Massachusetts

Context: On September 24, 2012, Apple Inc. reported that the iPhone 5 sold five million units in its first weekend (New York Times, 2012). Immediately, millions of older phones became obsolete, eclipsed by the lighter and faster model. Consumers are enamored with technological innovation, which drives them to purchase the newest product on the market.…